March 26, 2009

In these days when we are constantly inundated with bad news and
many of us are convinced that the destruction of our country is at
hand, I read some good news today.

We have a constitutional right to give the finger to a police
officer, as well as to another driver who blocks access to a parking
space that we are backing into. At least according to a federal
district court judge in Pittsburgh.

So what happened? The judge, David Stewart Cercone,
ruled that the gesture twice demonstrated by Hackbart does, in fact,
constitute speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution:

Hackbart, in this instance, was expressing his
frustration and anger when he gestured with his middle finger to both
the driver behind him and to Elledge. Both gestures are protected
expressions under the First Amendment, unless they fall within a
narrowly limited category of unprotected speech such as obscene speech
or fighting words.

March 25, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that an "insatiable" appetite in the United States for illegal drugs was to blame for much of the violence plaguing Mexico.

"We are. How could anybody conclude any differently?" Clinton told reporters in response to a question during a flight to Mexico for a two-day visit likely to be dominated by a drug war that killed 6,300 people in Mexico last year.

Gotta find some way to blame Americans. But this is impossibly strained.

It's like saying that your desire to own your own home caused other people in the mortgage industry to engage in fraud while competing for your business. Where's the connection? There is none.

What's interesting about Clinton's statement is that, in assigning blame to unknown, faceless people's "appetites," she is saying that there's nothing we can do except blame America. How do you go about changing the appetites of illegal drug users? Does Clinton want to find a solution?

Go after the people that kill. Then you might accomplish something other than encouraging more hatred of your own country. If improving the situation is not your goal, the taxpayers would like to know why they are paying your salary.

March 21, 2009

Barack Obama was elected commander in chief promising to run the most transparent presidential administration in American history.

This achievement and the overall promise of his historic administration caused the National Newspaper Publishers Assn. to name him "Newsmaker of the Year."

The president is to receive the award from the federation of black community newspapers in a White House ceremony this afternoon.

The Obama White House has closed the press award ceremony to the press.

From the president's official schedule:

"Later in the afternoon, the President and the First Lady will attend a reception with the National Newspaper Publisher Association in the State Dining Room, where they will be presented the Newsmaker of the Year award. This event is closed press."

Maybe they'll let the newspaper people pass the award through the fence.